After all, that's why we read historical fiction-to be transported to another time, and to be astonished at ancient people's lives and traditions, just as they would probably be astonished at ours.

the one for whom the sun shines.. -Ramses II

Why does life carry some people on the crest of the wave while others drown beneath the water?

I don't think unhappiness is fated.

...she refused to leave anything to someone else that she could do better herself.

You want it to feel like a surprise. You want to keep him guessing whether he'll make you smile entirely so that when you do, he will feel like he's been given a gift.

That's because I've learned how to use it [smile], Woserit said. I don't pass it out like an old woman giving free milk to the village cats. It's something that must be controlled, and for you especially. You use it on anyone. You must learn to be more judicious.